Neve White
by ponyboycurtiss
Summary: Modern retelling of Snow White. It's the year of the Bicentennial, and eighteen-year-old Neve finally has the courage to move out of her step-mother's home. What will happen next?


Neve White

* * *

It wasn't that Neve hated her stepmother. But she didn't like her either. Neve felt indifference for the woman who had married her father—her late father. But that was behind her. Only forward-thinking from now on. And though Neve felt relatively apathetic when it came to her stepmother, she always had the distinct impression that Dianne hated her. At the very least, Dianne must have disliked her more than a person normally would. _Dianne Jones_. The name evoked nothing in Neve as she leaned against the glass of the bus window, cheek gently wetted by the condensation. She had decided long ago that she would be perfectly fine if she never had to speak or hear that name again.

But there she went again. Dwelling on things she shouldn't. This was supposed to be her new beginning, her fresh start. This was the summer of the bicentennial, after all, a time to celebrate the past, but more importantly to look to the road ahead. As she finally stepped off of the bus, descending the stairs slowly, Neve finally felt a twinge of anxiety. She finally began to notice that she truly had no plans past the end of those four steps.

As casually as she could, Neve began walking down the street, looking for a restaurant or bar or someplace she could get a drink. As she walked, Neve noticed in the reflection of shop window that a man was following her. It was a man she recognized from the bus. She had caught him staring at her more than once, though she hadn't made a fuss. After a block more, Neve stopped under a streetlamp and turned around. He stopped too, dead in his tracks. He was holding a cup of something in his right hand and sweat was pouring down his face, despite the briskness of the nighttime breeze.

"Is there something I can help you find?" Neve asked in her straight-forward manner.

The man looked at Neve for a moment before walking over to the edge of the street and emptying the contents of his cup into a storm drain. "I just can't do it," he mumbled, over and over.

"Can't do what?" Neve pressed, now more curious than threatened.

"It's just…" the man paused. "Your stepmother. She wanted me to throw that in your face. She hired me to do it. I just can't. Not now. Not now that I am finally seeing you."

"Throw what in my face?"

"Lye."

Neve shuddered. _Dianne Jones_. Now she felt something. "Why can't you do it?"

"God made you so beautiful. If I destroyed that, it would be like spitting in his face. I don't think I could live with myself if I spit in God's face." The man turned and ran away, disappearing around the nearest corner.

Neve shuddered again. She looked down at what she was wearing—a pair of very old, very worn, straight-leg jeans, and a too-big, red and blue plaid, man's flannel shirt—and felt the slightest sense of bemusement at being called beautiful. More than that, he found her too beautiful to disfigure. Neve walked over to the large window of a nearby building and looked at herself. Her hair was brown, straight, just hanging there on either side of her eighteen-year-old face. A face that Neve found neither attractive nor unattractive. It simply looked like she expected it to. Sighing, she reshouldered the pack she had been carrying and walked to the end of the block. There, she found a bar and walked inside.

* * *

The bar, as it turned out, was a bit of a dive. Most of the customers appeared to be mildly-unsavory in nature. Neve quickly grabbed a seat at the far left of the bar and put her pack in her lap. Unnerved by the bar's clientele, Neve nervously tapped her feet on the barstool's legs and when approached by the bartender, she ordered just some water, thanks. A moment later, the bartender returned.

"What'll you have?"

"This water seems fine for now, thanks." Neve replied hastily.

"No, see, this guy at the other end of the bar bought you a glass of whatever you'd like. So, what'll you have?"

Neve considered the possibilities for a moment. "Just a beer, thanks."

When the bartender returned with the beer, Neve asked, "Which guy?"

The bartender gestured with a nod of his head. "That one. Dark hair, red v-neck. Trying not to stare at you, but he can't help it."

Neve blushed. She nursed her beer for a while but when it was done, she finally mustered the courage to thank the kind, red-shirted stranger. She took the seat next to him and clumsily held her pack in her lap. She glanced over at Red Shirt and smiled self-consciously. He blushed his response.

_He's pretty cute, _Neve thought. She liked the way his hair was just long enough to fall into his eyes. And his shirt was tight enough that it left little to her imagination. That thought left her blushing. "Thanks for the drink," she finally managed. "You didn't have to do that if you wanted to get my attention, you know." And then, feeling bold, Neve added, "You could've just smiled and let your dimples do that."

"Thank you," the stranger replied, his smile widening.

"What's your name?"

"Joel," he replied.

"Hole?" Neve asked incredulously.

"Almost. It rhymes like the carol. You know…" the stranger sang the first few bars of 'The First Noel' before Neve stopped him; he looked rather embarrassed.

"I think I get it. _Ho-ELL_."

"_Sí_, I mean yes." Joel replied, nodding his head. "Joel Gonzales."

"My name is Neve."

"_Nehv_. This is an interesting name."

"Thank you." Neve paused. "My mother told me once when I was little that it was spelled the same way as an Italian word, and that when you say it _nay-vay_, it means 'snow.'"

"This is like the Spanish word for snow, _nieve_." Joel observed. "What is your, um, your…" As Joel struggled, trying to think of the word, the bartender refreshed Neve's water. "_Tu apellido_." Joel finally said.

"Your last name," the bartender translated.

"Oh," Neve said. "It's White. Neve White."

"You are on your way to someplace?" Joel asked, looking at Neve's pack, still sitting in her lap.

"No, I just arrived, actually."

"Oh, you are staying at a hotel near here? You would like someone to walk you back? Only for safety, I mean."

Neve looked up from her glass of water and enjoyed for a moment the sincerity plastered all over Joel's face. "I actually don't have a place to stay tonight. I guess I was hoping to find a boarding house, or someplace cheap. I didn't really think that far ahead, I guess." Neve felt suddenly nervous about her situation in life.

"You can stay at my home tonight."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure I can find somewhere. Besides, not to be rude, but I hardly even know you." Neve explained hurriedly.

"No, I don't mean stay with me. I mean stay in my home, alone, in another room. This is safer than a boarding house. And cheaper." Joel smiled and brushed a lock of his pitch-black hair out of his eyes; Neve felt herself melt a little.

"Maybe," Neve conceded. "I'll just go with you and have a look. I'm not making any promises."

Joel nodded and stood. He grabbed Neve's pack and shouldered it before she could protest and offered his arm to her. She obliged him, resting her right hand in the crook of his left arm, and they were off in search of Joel's home.

* * *

As it turned out, Joel lived in a quaint home with his brothers, all six of them. They ranged in age from eleven to twenty-three, with Joel being the oldest. Having lost their parents in a tragic accident the previous year, Joel as well as his two twin brothers—both aged twenty-one-had been taking care of their four younger brothers, all of whom were school-aged.

Neve listened with invested interest as Joel recounted this information to her during the course of the fifteen minute walk from the bar to his home. Upon arriving, Neve was met with a fury of questions. For his part, Joel tried to keep their badgering to a minimum, but his youngest brothers refused to be satisfied. Where did she come from? Was she running away? Didn't she have any family? Finally, when Joel felt Neve had been bothered quite enough, he showed her to the room in which she would be spending the night.

The room was simply furnished: a twin bed, a chest of drawers, a small closet, a table serving as a desk, an old wooden chair, home-made drapes flanking the window which was open to take advantage of the summer's cool, night air. The room was clean, but still maintained a sense of being lived-in.

"Is this your room?"Neve prodded as Joel gently set her pack on the foot of the bed. He nodded. "I can't stay in here! Where will you sleep?"

"That is not for you to worry about." Joel assured her. "The bathroom is the door across the hall. If you need anything, just call. It is getting late, so I must put my youngest brothers to bed, but I will come and make sure you are doing alright before I go to sleep."

Neve nodded and after Joel left, she sat gingerly on the end of the bed. The quilt appeared to be hand-made; Neve wondered if the brothers' mother had made it. She picked up her large pack and set it in the old chair in front of the desk. Not quite sure what she should do, she found herself nosing around Joel's room. Looking in the top drawer of the bureau—nothing but briefs and socks. Opening the closet door—small inside, mostly t-shirts. Eventually, Neve drew the curtains and began to peel off her clothes until she found herself in her underwear. She opened her bag and began searching for a nightgown of some kind. But she was without luck. Cursing under her breath, she ran her hands through her hair and tried to decide what she would wear.

As she stood, perplexed, there was a knock at the door. "May I come in?"

"Just a moment," Neve called. She looked with panic at the pile of clothes she had left on the floor and kicked them under the desk. Flustered, she grabbed the first thing that came to her mind: one of Joel's shirts from his closet. As Joel was maybe four inches taller than her, the green t-shirt was slightly large on her, and just long enough so that she felt comfortable telling Joel to open the door.

As Joel entered, he noticed her lack of pants and immediately put up his right hand to cover his eyes. "I am sorry, I did not mean to—"

"No, it's fine." Neve cut him off. "I hope you don't mind. You caught me just as I was changing and I seem to have forgotten to pack a nightgown."

Joel uncovered his eyes tentatively, and then began to stare upwards at the ceiling. "No, of course, it is fine. Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No, I think I'm okay. But thank you. You really didn't have to do this."

Joel smiled slightly, and replied, "It is okay. I, I mean we, do not mind. _Qué duermas bien_." He paused. "I mean, sleep well." Joel backed carefully out of his room, shutting the door behind himself.

Neve turned and decided to turn down the sheets and climb into the bed, exhausted from her day of bus riding. As she turned the sheets back she looked closer, and then tentatively smelled the top sheet as she held it in her hand. _He must have managed to put on fresh sheets while I was distracted by his little brothers_. Yawning, she pulled the sheets up tight around her shoulders and nuzzled into the pillow before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Neve awoke as the sun was rising. She lay in bed for a while until she heard footsteps in the hallway. Pulling on the jeans she had left on the floor under the desk, and keeping on Joel's t-shirt, she ventured out of the bedroom and down the hall, into the home's small galley kitchen where she found Joel busy fixing coffee for himself. Smiling, Joel greeted her and offered her a cup of coffee, which she accepted. Neve stood awkwardly sipping, leaning against the counter and watching Joel go about fixing a breakfast for his brothers.

"Do you do this every morning?" Neve asked.

"Most of the time. We work every day, me and Ricky and Nico and Jaime." Joel replied, referring to his twin brothers, Ricardo and Nicolas, both of whom Neve had met the previous evening, as well as their seventeen-year-old brother, Jaime (whose name, Neve made note of, Joel pronounced like '_high-may_.') "We all do, um, construction."

Neve then wondered aloud, "What do your younger brothers do during the day?"

Joel sighed. "They just stay at home. Alone. Luis does his best to look after the youngest ones, but he is still so young, I regret that he has to do so much."

Neve felt a twinge of heartache. Luis was only fourteen, and his younger brothers, Johnny (whose name Joel pronounced like '_Yohnny_') and Mateo, who were eleven and twelve years old.

"How long will you stay with us?" Joel asked, changing the subject.

"I should probably go today." Neve replied, feeling saddened. "Now that it is light out, I can probably find a hotel without too much trouble."

"No, no, you can stay with us. It is not a problem." Joel insisted, pulling the last strips of bacon from the skillet and turning to face Neve. "Please, it is not a problem."

"It's an imposition," Neve insisted. "We don't know each other well enough for me to be this big of a trouble."

Joel paused. "You can stay here and look after the children. This way, you are helping and they have someone to care for them."

"No, I mean, I couldn't. They don't know me. What if they don't like me?"

"They like you. They told me last night." Joel assured her, cracking several eggs into the skillet filled with bacon fat.

Neve grew quiet, just watching and sipping her coffee. When Joel finished, he put the eggs on a plate before opening the oven and removing a large cookie sheet filled with several slices of bread which had been toasting under the broiler. He piled them on a plate and then turned to Neve, who set down her coffee and grabbed two of the plates before Joel could ask for her help.

At Joel's insistence, Neve sat down, joining Ricky, Nico and Jaime. They tried their best to make small talk with her, but they did not speak as much English as their brother. When Joel joined them, bringing the coffee with him, the four brothers began chattering in Spanish. Their conversation appeared lively, but Neve couldn't understand a word of it. After several minutes, Neve had finished her eggs and bacon, and had moved on to her third slice of toast when she suddenly heard English.

"I am very sorry for not speaking so you can understand too." Joel apologized. "It is not so easy for my brothers to speak English. It is just that my brothers have had the same idea as me."

"Oh, okay. Well, maybe… Let's just try for today and see what happens." Neve said carefully.

* * *

Neve's first day as a nanny went swimmingly. The three youngest brothers were quite happy to be spending a day with someone new. They certainly kept her busy. Neve was able to find a blanket, so they ate their lunch as a picnic in the yard, which was a novel experience for the brothers. When the older brothers returned home from work that evening, Neve had dinner waiting for them. Joel's face looked so relieved and grateful, Neve wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. They all begged her to stay—just to help them out around the house, be a feminine influence in their lives. Neve felt so welcome, she didn't think she could say anything but yes.

That evening, Neve once again slept in Joel's green t-shirt. During the middle of the night, she woke up, having the need to visit the bathroom. Finished, she took the opportunity to do a bit of snooping around the house. It was one level. The front door entered into the living room, which turned into the dining room. The dining room butted up against the kitchen, where the back door was located. Off to the left of the dining room was a hallway which led to the home's three bedrooms. The door on the back right of the hallway was closed, but the door on the back left was cracked open.

Neve gave in to her curiosities and tip toed down the hall and peered in. She saw two beds, one full-sized, one twin-sized. Luis was fast asleep on the twin bed. On the full bed, Joel was asleep squished between Jonny and Mateo. Neve felt a tear fall down her cheek as she saw the sacrifice of comfort and convenience he was making on her behalf.

As time went on, Neve found herself fitting in better and better with the Gonzalez brothers' routine. After a month, they were still singing her praises, for which she was grateful. For the first time in her life since her father died, she felt needed and loved. She was beginning to understand the joy of caring for someone else as much as she cared for herself, if not more.

One day, near the end of July, the Texan summer let up for a day and the cloudy sky allowed for the possibility of 70 degree highs. Joel thought it would be prudent to take advantage of the cool weather and take his school-aged brothers shopping for new clothes and school supplies. They were reluctant until it occurred to them to invite Neve along. "Come on _Nieve_, help us pick out our clothes!" Jonny pleaded. _Nieve_ had become the brothers' pet name for her. She thought it was cute. Neve agreed and accompanied them to the department store.

After a couple hours, the five brothers were all exhausted, especially Joel. Neve could feel his pain as he paid for the new clothing. It was a financial burden, but one he readily accepted. He refused to let his family wallow in poverty. He worked very hard so they could keep living the way they were used to living, or at least the youngest brothers could.

That evening, Neve found Joel sitting on the home's back stoop alone. She sat down next to him. The night air was brisk, and she shivered. Tentatively, she scooted closer to Joel and leaned gently against him. He reached around her with a strong arm and offered her some of his warmth.

"When the children return to school in a few weeks, I think I will go and look for a job. I want to be able to help out and start to pull my weight." Neve stated. It was something she had been thinking a great deal about.

"You don't have to do that." Joel replied, though he knew it would not change her mind.

"I do. I think it's time. And with the kids gone during the day, and Jaime stopping work because of the school year, you will need the extra help." Neve shivered again and nuzzled closer to Joel.

"You are too kind."

"I think we both know who's the one who is 'too kind.'" Neve said. She could feel Joel smiling next to her. She couldn't see it, but she could feel the change in his posture. He was sitting up straighter.

After a few minutes spent in silence, the most comfortable silence Neve had ever experienced, Joel shifted. "_Estoy cansado_." He said, standing up. He offered a hand to Neve, who accepted it. They walked inside and as they parted for the night, Joel said, "_Que sueñes con los angelitos."_

"_Y tú tambien_," she replied smiling.

* * *

Neve spent the following days searching for job opportunities. She found a few, but they turned out to be dead ends—the position was already filled, they were looking for someone with more experience. After several days without any luck, Neve was beginning to feel discouraged. However, one afternoon, after a particularly awkward and unfortunate interview, Neve stopped at a diner on her way home.

_Home_. Neve felt it strange to think of the Gonzalez's home in that way. In some ways, she still felt like a stranger. She still lived out of her duffle bag. She was still staying in what was Joel's room.

One and a half cups of coffee later, Neve felt it was time she should leave. It was getting to be late in the afternoon and she still had to fix dinner. As she was leaving, she noticed a sign posted near the diner's front door explaining that the diner was looking for a new server.

A few minutes into her chat with the manager, Neve was prompted to explained why she was looking for a job. After a moment's consideration, Neve began explaining entirely too much about the past month and a half. Hateful stepmother, man with lye, kind stranger, six more brothers, daytime nanny, place to stay. The manager took pity on her and offered her the job, with the condition that her first few weeks were probationary—after each week, her progress would be evaluated to assess how well she was learning the trade, so to speak. Neve was ecstatic.

Walking down the street, Neve felt on top of the world. Stopping at the first intersection, she waited until she was given the walk signal. The white outline of a man appeared and she stepped into the street. Stumbling a little, she stopped after a few steps and fixed the shoe she was wearing. But as she bent down, a car flew past her. Neve fell backwards and looked up to see a woman driving the car, staring back at her with a hatred so strong, Neve felt as though she might fall over again.

When she arrived home, finally, Joel had already started dinner. Neve helped him as best she could, but she wasn't feeling like herself. For the second time that summer, she had narrowly escaped attack. And this time, she was almost killed. _Dianne Jones_. Neve felt her blood pressure rising.

After eating dinner, and after the others had retired for the evening, Joel found Neve sitting on the back stoop. He sat next to her for a moment before asking, "What's wrong?"

Neve debated whether or not she should tell him about her encounter. In the end, she decided she should. She told him everything, including what had happened just prior to their first meeting. Joel was floored. He asked her so many questions. He was so concerned. Neve felt awful seeing Joel's reaction. He was pained by her encounter. He felt genuine worry and anxiety. Should she even look for a job? Would she be safe? Would her stepmother attack again?

Neve felt loved.

* * *

The second Saturday in August was one of the hottest day of the whole summer. Joel had the idea to take the whole family—Neve included—to the local pool. It was the last weekend before school started and Joel thought one last outing before the stress of school began would be a good idea. The pool was busy. Neve quickly grabbed a table near the pool when became available and set up camp. The brothers all applied sun screen at Neve's insistence before jumping into the water.

After an hour or so of reading, Neve was surprised to find Joel telling her to take a break, jump in the water, cool off and enjoy herself, he would keep an eye on their things. Neve reluctantly agreed. But she had fun. Splashing around was much more relaxing than she anticipated. Eventually, she grew tired and she found a corner of the pool where she could just relax and lay back, floating under the bright afternoon sun.

Suddenly, Neve was under water. She struggled, but she felt something, or someone holding on to her leg. Panicking, she began kicking and scrambling, reaching, grabbing for anything she could. But without success. She began to feel her lungs burning, screaming for air. And then blackness started creeping in. Neve grew tired. She tried resisting, but she felt as though she couldn't. She just…

Coughing. Sputtering. Neve felt herself spew water. She was laying on the cold, rough concrete surrounding the pool. Something was blocking the sun. Squinting, and then wiping her eyes, Neve looked up to see Joel, dripping wet, brow furrowed with worry, squatting next to her, biting his lip.

"Did you? What happened, I mean…" Neve was having trouble figuring out what happened.

"You were drowning. Someone was trying to drown you." Joel said. "I couldn't find you. I was so scared. I thought you had…" Joel's voice broke. He closed his eyes, and a tear fell down his cheek and onto Neve's. She felt her eyes begin to well up.

"Did you save me?" she asked.

Joel didn't answer. But Jonny did. "Yes, he did! He kissed you and you spitted up water."

Neve blushed fiercely. She knew he meant Joel performed mouth to mouth resuscitation, but the thought of him kissing her was too much. She tried not to smile, but she couldn't help it. She knew that she had found her happily ever after.

* * *

Thank you for reading this story! I hope you enjoyed it~! Please leave a review if you feel so inclined. ^^

These are the translations for the Spanish phrases not translated in the story:

_Estoy cansado. = _I'm tired

_Que sueñes con los angelitos. = _May you dream with the little angels. (A cute way to say good night.)

_Y tú tambien. = _You too.


End file.
